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n philosophical writing:Avoid direct quotes. If you need to quote, quote sparingly, and follow your quotes by expla. ning what the author means in your own words. (There are times when brief direct quotes can be helpful, for example when you want to present and interpret a potential amb.
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- Early Stages
- Write A Draft
- Rewrite, and Keep Rewriting
Discuss the issues with others
It's even more valuable to talk to each other about what you want to argue in your paper. When you have your ideas worked out well enough that you can explain them to someone else, verbally, then you're ready to sit down and start making an outline.
Make an outline
The overall clarity of your paper will greatly depend on its structure. That is why it is important to think about these questions before you begin to write. I strongly recommend that you make an outline of your paper, and of the arguments you'll be presenting, before you begin to write. This lets you organize the points you want to make in your paper and get a sense for how they are going to fit together. It also helps ensure that you're in a position to saywhat your main argument or critici...
Start Work Early
You need to leave yourself enough time to think about the topic and write a detailed outline. Only then should you sit down to write a complete draft. Once you have a complete draft, you should set it aside for a day or two. Then you should come back to it and rewrite it. Several times. At least3 or 4. If you can, show it to your friends and get their reactions to it. Do they understand your main point? Are parts of your draft unclear or confusing to them? All of this takes time. So you shoul...
Use simple prose
You may think that since your TA and I already know a lot about this subject, you can leave out a lot of basic explanation and write in a super-sophisticated manner, like one expert talking to another. I guarantee you that this will make your paper incomprehensible. If your paper sounds as if it were written for a third-grade audience, then you've probably achieved the right sort of clarity. In your philosophy classes, you will sometimes encounter philosophers whose writing is obscure and com...
Make the structure of your paper obvious
How can you do this? First of all, use connective words, like: 1. because, since, given this argument 2. thus, therefore, hence, it follows that, consequently 3. nevertheless, however, but 4. in the first case, on the other hand These will help your reader keep track of where your discussion is going. Be sure you use these words correctly! If you say "P. Thus Q." then you are claiming that P is a good reason to accept Q. You had better be right. If you aren't, we'll complain. Don't throw in a...
Be concise, but explain yourself fully
These demands might seem to pull in opposite directions. (It's as if the first said "Don't talk too much," and the second said "Talk a lot.") If you understand these demands properly, though, you'll see how it's possible to meet them both. 1. We tell you to be concise because we don't want you to ramble on about everything you know about a given topic, trying to show how learned and intelligent you are. Each assignment describes a specific problem or question, and you should make sure you dea...
Then come back to the draft and re-read it. As you read each sentence, say things like this to yourself: If you're not happy with some sentence in your draft, ask yourself why it bothers you. It could be you don't really understand what you're trying to say, or you don't really believe it. Make sure your sentences say exactly what you want them to ...
Simon Fraser University. Good writing is the product of proper training, much practice, and hard work. The following remarks, though they will not guarantee a top quality paper, should help you determine where best to direct your efforts. I offer first some general comments on philosophical writing, and then some specific "do"s and "don't"s.
the writing spectrum than the narrative, free association \journaling" end of the spectrum. What you are doing in a philosophy paper should be clearly re ected in the structure and content of the paper, at each step of the way. 2 Format requirements These are the format requirements for papers written for my courses: 1. Adhere to the page count ...
How to Write a Philosophy Paper. Shelly Kagan Department of Philosophy. 1. Every paper you write for me will be based on the same basic assignment: state a thesis and defend it. That is, you must stake out a position that you take to be correct, and then you must offer arguments for that view, consider objections, and reply to those objections.
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Want to learn how to write a Philosophy paper? University of Toronto Scarborough 1265 Military Trail, Toronto, ON. Canada, M1C 1A4, Ph. (416) 287 8872. I (we) wish to acknowledge this land on which the University of Toronto operates. For thousands of years it has been the traditional land of the Huron-Wendat, the Seneca, and the Mississaugas of ...
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3. How philosophy papers will be evaluated, and how this might differ from what you are used to. This short guide will provide step-by-step guidance to each step of the process. How you use it is up to you. For example, your instructor may recommend that you read this guide in its entirety, either before you write a paper, or
